I've opposed this new tax from the beginning, because I believe it is unconstitutional.
The Governor and Legislature simply called it a "fee" to avoid the
2/3rds vote requirement designed to protect taxpayers. As soon as
possible, I intend to join a lawsuit asking the courts to halt this
illegal money-grab as soon as possible. Unfortunately, no one can file
the lawsuit to stop the tax until after the bills go out.
The
purported purpose of this so-called "fire prevention fee" is to prevent
fires, but in truth the millions of dollars collected will be used to
fund Cal-FIRE's existing bureaucracy rather than expand the state's fire
prevention efforts.
Even
though the Legislature passed the law and Cal-FIRE is implementing it,
the Board of Equalization is required to perform the ministerial
function of sending out the bills.
In mid-August BOE will begin billing the first of 825,000+ Californians
who own habitable structures in a State Responsibility Area (SRA). The
bills will go out by county in alphabetical order.
The
new law requires taxpayers to pay within 30 days of receiving a bill or
face steep penalties and interest. I'm concerned that many taxpayers
will lack sufficient time to understand whether they must pay this new
tax. That's why I've asked Board staff to send a pre-notice to taxpayers
who will soon receive a bill. While we can't stop the bills from going
out, we can at least try to make sure adequate notice is given.
To help inform taxpayers in my district, I've also established a new website (calfirefee.com)
that provides further background and the latest news about this new
law. You can also visit this site to find out if you live in an SRA and
might soon receive a fire tax bill.
California
needs a balanced budget, but we should not balance it on the backs of
already overtaxed Californians. Be assured that I will continue to do
everything in my power to protect taxpayers from unfair and excessive
taxation.
Visit calfirefee.com today to learn whether you might soon receive a fire tax bill.
